1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to insect repellents. More particularly, the present invention relates to blends of insect repellents, and to non-toxic lotions and sprays using the blends with or without a sunscreen that may be used on humans and animals.
2. State of the Art
Insects are a considerable annoyance and health risk. In an attempt to repel insects, people have turned to widely marketed lotions and sprays (e.g. Cutters, Deep Woods Off, and Tick Garde) that contain N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) as their active ingredient. While DEET is an effective repellent, it is not particularly pleasing in smell, may sting when applied, and has a number of harmful side effects to humans. DEET is injurious to eyes, mucous membranes, and sensitive skin. In addition, because DEET is absorbed through the skin, toxic systemic reactions may result as well. For example, in August 1989, the New York State Department of Health investigated five reports of generalized seizures that were believed to be associated with the topical application of DEET. Other symptoms and maladies associated with repeated exposure to DEET have included irritability, confusion, insomnia, encephalopathy, and coma. As a result, cautionary statements regarding use of DEET have been issued by the Centers for Disease Control and the states of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Utah.
The potential hazards of using a product with DEET as an active ingredient suggests that there exists a great need for a comparable repellent product that is not dangerous to its users.
It is known that various herbal and floral extracts are useful in repelling insects. For example, patent publication number WO 2013050967 A1 discloses pest control formulations that are based on natural oils in combination with a polar aromatic solvent such as aryl alcohols, aryl-alkyl alcohols, aryl aldehydes, aryl-alkyl ketones, aryl-aryl ketones, aryl carboxylic acids, aryl esters, aryl-alkyl esters, aryl-aryl esters, aryl-alkyl ethers, and aryl-aryl ethers.
Patent publication number WO 2010/088645 A2 discloses that there are a number of essential oils or components of essential oils with insecticidal properties. Examples include the oils of cedar, cinnamon, citronella, citrus, clove, eugenol (a component of clove oil), garlic, mints, such as peppermint and spearmint, rosemary, and several others. The document also discloses that representative fragrances include floral or plant oil fragrances such as citrus, clove, eucalyptus, wintergreen, rosemary, citronella or cinnamon oil, which also possesses pesticidal and antimicrobial properties.
US published patent application number 2013/0142893 A1 discloses pesticidal compositions containing rosemary oil and/or Wintergreen oil as a contact and repellent pesticide in household applications . . . rosemary oil in an amount of about 5-20%, wintergreen oil in an amount of about 20-80%, and mineral oil in an amount of about 5-45%.
While these formulations are interesting, there remains a need for non-toxic insect repellents that are also aromatically pleasing.